Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Mon 23 March 2026 16:10, UK

Tottenham Hotspur are primed to have a worryingly large wage bill if they get relegated from the Premier League this season.

That is according to Chris Weatherspoon, a football finance writer at The Athletic, who highlights how dire the finances would be in North London if they fell into the Championship.

Tottenham were thumped 3-0 by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday, as the Tricky Trees leapfrogged them into 16th.

Spurs sit one point and one place above the bottom three heading into the international break, as questions mount over interim boss Igor Tudor’s future.

Tottenham reportedly have the seventh-highest wage bill in the Premier League, and that will certainly come back to bite them if they are unable to stave off relegation to the English second tier.

Tottenham have a big wage problem

According to Capology, only Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa have a bigger wage bill than Tottenham this season.

The likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Brighton all have vastly smaller player-squad salaries, yet they are either pushing for Europe or are virtually assured of staying up.

Tottenham, though, are 17th.

If Tottenham do go down, there will likely be a fire sale, with a mass player exodus almost a certainty. In fact, more first-team players are likely to go than stay in the Championship.

Captain Cristian Romero and defensive partner Micky van de Ven will head for pastures new, while summer signings Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, among others, won’t stick around.

Playmakers Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison will likely move on, as will January recruit Conor Gallagher and right-back Pedro Porro.

For many Spurs fans, it doesn’t bear thinking about what their side could look like in the Championship.

And now, Weatherspoon has highlighted that Tottenham’s reported wage bill would be the largest ever for a Premier League-relegated club.

He adds that the current record holders are Leicester City, followed by Leeds United and Southampton – all of whom were relegated in 2023.

Things are dire for Tottenham, but it will only get worse if they go down.

Where will Tottenham’s wins come from?

Interim boss Tudor has had a disastrous spell at Tottenham so far, winning none of his five Premier League games.

The positivity that sprang up after a draw at Liverpool and a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League evaporated in Tottenham’s loss against Forest.

Their last league win was way back on 28 December away at Crystal Palace, back when Thomas Frank was still in charge.

And looking at their seven remaining games, it is hard to see where the wins come from.

On paper, Tottenham will be targeting the away game at basement side Wolves and fellow strugglers Leeds United at home.

But they also have to play Europe-chasing Everton, Sunderland, and Brighton, and Champions League hopefuls Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Spurs are knee-deep in the mire, and it could get even worse.